Carrot Soup
by RoxyJaws
Summary: Judy gets sick for the first time since she moved to the city. Her parents may not be there to take care of her, but someone else pays her a visit. oneshot


**Hi! I'm still writing stuff!** **(** **I actually wrote this not too long after the movie came out, but never got 'round to proof reading it until now)**

 **When Zootopia came out I got sick... so this happened. I hope you enjoy it!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Zootopia**

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 _Dark_ , _cramped_ , _depressing_.These were all words that described Judy's little one room apartment very well at the moment.

 _Droopy_ , _lonely_ , _restless_. These were all words that described Judy herself very well at the moment too. There was also _sneezy_ , _weak_ and _hurting_.

Officer Hopps was sick. She'd had the sniffles the previous day, but when she got out of bed that morning, a wave of dizziness had hit her and made her crash back on her bed with a headache. Then came a huge sneeze that burned her nose and a coughing fit that itched her throat. As much as she hated to admit it, she couldn't go to work if she were sick like this.

So instead of picking up her badge, Judy picked up her phone, called in sick, then crawled back to bed to try and go back to sleep.

A few minutes later, she woke up to sneeze, but she couldn't find any tissues and ended up sneezing in her paws. Disgusted, the poor rabbit got up despite her head screaming at her to stay down and staggered to her tiny bathroom to wash her paws and get a box of tissues. While she was there, she looked for some painkillers to help with her headache, but there was none. Grabbing herself a glass of water, she made her way back to her bed and tried to get comfy. This really wasn't her day.

For a while, Judy went to sleep only to awaken in discomfort a few minutes later. Tossing and turning to try and get comfortable, Judy couldn't help but think that this was the first time she was sick and alone. Usually, her mom would always be there to take care of her and soothe her. But hey, Judy wanted to live in the big city. That meant leaving her family behind and being alone when she got sick.

 _BZZZZZZZZTT_

A _loud_ noise made the rabbit's ears ring. She mumbled a "Go away" and tried to go back to sleep.

 _BZZZTT BZZZZZZZZZZZTTT_

The second time, Judy recognized the noise as the buzzer. Someone was asking to get in. To see who it was and buzz them in, she'd have to get up and go all the way to the door of her apartment. Judy whined, but got up before it buzzed again.

She was almost at the door when-

 _BBZZZZZZZZZZTT_

That one hurt her head. Judy pushed the button to talk and said "sshhhhh!", then she waited for the visitor to speak.

"Hey Carrots, I-" Her partner's unmistakable voice came through the intercom _loudly_. Judy didn't care _why_ he was here at the moment, she buzzed the fox in, cutting him off mid-sentence, to make the buzzing and loud noises stop.

Then the rabbit unlocked her door for Nick and went back to her bed to die.

Not too long after, there was a soft knock on the door.

"'t's open" the sick bunny mumbled.

The fox stepped in and took in the sight that greeted him. His best friend was lying in bed, a look of discomfort in her puffy eyes, her ears were droopy and unkept and she was breathing through her mouth as if hot enough air could pass through her clogged nose. "Wow, you look terrible" Nick greeted her.

"Good to see you too" Judy tried to joke back. She got in a coughing fit, during which Nick pulled the chair by her bed and sat in it.

"You okay?" He asked with concern.

"Fine, just sick" Judy answered, refusing to appear weak "I'll be back to normal in no time." She looked at Nick and noticed that he was in uniform. _Of course_ he was in uniform! "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at work?"

"When Clawhauser told me you called in sick, I decided to take the day off"

"Why? You can work without me" Judy asked, confused.

"But I don't want to." Nick answered "Plus, _someone_ has to take care of my favourite bunny, right?"

"That's sweet, but-" Judy interrupted herself when she felt a sneeze coming. She fumbled around, looking for her tissue box in the darkness, then Nick held it out to her just in time. _Chu~!_ Judy sneezed into a tissue. Then she continued "but I can take care of myself. And I don't want you to be sick too"

"I don't care. No one should be alone when they're sick like this. So will you please let me help, Judy?" Nick asked with concern in his eyes.

The fox's use of Judy's real name meant he was serious and she knew it. From the look of it, Nick really wanted to be there for Judy. And Judy didn't want to be alone.

"Ok" she said, with a small smile.

Nick smiled at Judy, glad she was letting him help "So, what's wrong exactly?" He asked, though he already knew some of it.

"sore throat... *sniff* clogged nose... headache..." Judy said with a hoarse voice. Meanwhile, Nick pressed his paw to her forehead and cheeks.

"I think you have a bit of a fever too" He said in a soft voice. Judy leaned into his touch; his paw felt cool against her feverish skin which eased some of her discomfort. Nick chuckled "You bunnies are so snuggly"

"Shut up" she mumbled, but she didn't pull away.

Nick pulled his hand back which made Judy pout and Nick chuckle. "Try to get comfy and get some rest" He said, while he placed her blankets that had partly fallen off the bed with her tossing and turning.

Judy tried, but her headache, clogged nose, sore throat and, apparently, fever made it very difficult. She noticed Nick leave her side and wanted to tell him not to leave, but she was too tired to do anything. Judy could hear that he was in the bathroom opening cabinets and such, then she heard the running water.

Judy shot upright in alarm, grabbed a tissue then _chu~!_ _chu~! a-chu~!_ Getting up so suddenly did very little to soothe her headache.

" _BLESS YOU!_ " Came a voice from across the paper-thin wall. It was too loud for poor Judy's sensitive ears and raging headache.

" _SHUT UP! YOU HEARD HER! SHE HAS A HEADACHE!_ " The second voice screamed.

" _SHUT UP!_ "

" _NO, YOU SHUT UP!_ "

" _YOU SHUT UP!_ "

" _YOU SHUT UP!_ "

They were so loud, Judy's head was spinning and it felt as if it would crack open. She was sitting up with her knees to her chest. The rabbit held her sensitive ears down to try and block out the yelling from the neighbours. Her eyes were clenched shut and she had a big frown.

Judy felt a cool paw pet her head softly and she heard Nick whisper "I'll take care of them".

Before she could react, he was already out the door. She heard a knock on the neighbours door and yelling ceased. Judy lifted an ear to listen in.

" _ZPD, open up!_ "

" _What did you do!?_ "

" _Why do you assume it's me!?_ "

 _knock knock knock_

" _What can we do for you officer?_ "

" _I'm here about a noise complaint._ "

" _What!? We weren't making any noise!_ "

" _That's not what I hear. This is your only warning. Keep it down or you'll get a fine. Good day._ "

" _bless you officer!_ " Judy thought she heard her neighbour 2 doors down call out.

Nick walked back in the apartment and the neighbours were quiet. "My hero" Judy smiled.

"Alright, off to bed with you" The fox said. He fluffed her pillow and tucked her in.

Judy frowned "It feels like there's an elephant on a rampage in my head"

She felt Nick pet her head "going to sleep will help" Then Judy felt something cool and wet pressed against her forehead. Nick had gotten her a cool towel to help with the fever.

The tension in her brow smoothed out and she smiled gratefully and sleepily at her friend "Maybe it will"

The bunny closed her eyes, ready to go to to sleep, then she opened one eye to look at the fox that was still looking at her. "so... are you gonna watch me sleep?"

"I have enough stuff on my phone to keep me busy" Nick chuckled softly "But I'm still here in case you need anything"

"Ok" Judy whispered before she fell asleep.

Despite Nick's efforts, Judy wasn't having the most restful sleep. The wet towel had helped soothe her fever and headache ever-so-slightly, but she needed medicine, which she didn't have.

When she woke up a little while later, her headache wasn't as bad, but her throat felt worse, her nose was no closer to clearing up and her ears were clogged. The towel that had been on her forehead lay abandoned next to her pillow and it was no longer cool. Judy propped herself up on her elbows and scanned her tiny apartment. Nick was no where in sight.

"Nick?" Judy called out, but her voice was scratchy. Her throat felt dry, so she reached out to get her glass of water and took a drink. Unfortunately, it hurt her throat to swallow. Then, she entered a coughing fit, which also hurt her throat. It would have been a lot easier to get through if Nick were there. Where was he?

Judy then noticed a note by her tissue box in Nick's handwriting. It read ' _Out for supplies, be back soon_ '.

What bothered the rabbit the most wasn't the pain in her throat as much as it was her blocked ears. She relied on her ears so much that she felt blind now that she could barely hear.

Choosing to ignore that, she got a tissue and tried to blow out her nose. Nothing came out, but as she tried to blow out her nose, a sharp pain erupted in her right ear. She yelped and reached for her ear, but then was pleasantly surprised to find that she could hear well from that ear once more. She was noticing how weird it was to hear from only one ear when she sniffed and her right ear clogged up again.

Groaning in frustration, she crashed back down in her bed. She hoped Nick would be back soon, but until then she'd try to go back to sleep. Her ears started ringing which brought back her headache.

Judy was taken by a coughing and sneezing fit which felt as horrible as it sounded. It did leave he ears unclogged though. She layed back in her bed, ready to go back to sleep.

" _HEY METER MAID! ARE YOU ALRIGHT!?_ "

" _SHUT UP! OR WE'LL GET A FINE!_ "

" _I WAS JUST ASKING A QUESTION!_ "

" _SHUT UP!_ "

" _YOU SHUT UP!_ "

" _YOU SHUT UP!_ "

The sick mammal lied on her side, facing the wall, her headache returning. She _wished_ her ears were still clogged. She wanted them both to shut up. So she joined in. Weakly knocking on the wall, she mumbled "shut up... shut up... shut up..."

Not too long after, the door opened. Judy looked up and saw Nick and it may have been the light playing tricks on her eyes, but she thought she saw an angry look in his eyes. Before she could say or ask anything, he was back out the door.

Judy heard banging on the neighbours' door which interrupted their yelling. She heard one of her neighbours say "Officer", then it was cut off. She heard some ruckus from across the wall, then nothing.

Nick came back into her apartment. This time with a content smile on his face. "What did you do?" Judy asked.

" _I_ didn't do anything. Your neighbours just suddenly got really tired and decided to take a nap" Nick said as he sat by Judy's bedside.

"Sure they did" she rolled her eyes.

"I was hoping I'd be back before you woke up. How are you feeling?" He asked as reached into a plastic bag.

"Head's a bit better, but my throat is killing me- _chu~ chu~_ " Judy groaned after she sneezed "and now my ears are blocked again"

"Well I got you some medicine and lunch" Nick said, while he finished taking everything out of the bag and placed it on the desk.

"Lunch? what time is it?" Judy looked over to her alarm clock, but it was hidden by her tissue box.

"it's 12:30. Are you hungry?" Nick asked while he opened the blinds, letting the sun shine into the tiny apartment. Judy clenched her eyes shut, then slowly opened them to get used to the light.

The rabbit's tummy growled "Maybe a little"

"How does carrot soup sound?" Nick smiled.

"Good" Judy sat up and moved her pillows to lean against them. Then _chu~! chu~!_

Judy noticed Nick chuckling to himself while he put the soup in the microwave "What's funny?"

"Your sneezes are so cute" he grinned.

"Don't call me cute!" Judy frowned.

"Oh come on, I didn't call _you_ cute. Since when can't I say your _sneeze_ is cute?" The fox said while he went to the desk where he'd emptied out his bag.

"Whatever" Judy mumbled. She was about to say something else, but instead of words coming out of her mouth, she started coughing.

Nick had been reading the cold medicine bottle to see what dosage to give. He filled the cap that came with the bottle to the appropriate line and gave it to Judy. "Here, drink up. It's cold medicine"

The rabbit looked at the syrup warily and a thought occurred to her "This isn't for..." she trailed off.

"Foxes?" Nick finished for her with a smile "No. Don't worry, I got the bunny stuff. Just for you"

Judy made a face when she took the medicine "uuh" she grimaced "This has better make me feel better, because it tastes disgusting"

"That's usually how it goes with medicine" Nick said while Judy drank some water to wash down the taste. The microwave beeped and Nick brought the soup to Judy. He put it on the table by her bed and she sat up completely and swung her legs over the edge of the bed to eat her soup.

Nick took out a sandwich and they started eating together. The soup felt good against Judy's sore throat and she hadn't noticed how hungry she was until she started eating.

"How's the soup?"

"It's okay, nothing like the soup my mom makes, but it's still good" Judy smiled at the thought of home, but Nick thought he saw a hint of sadness in her eyes.

"You okay?" He inquired.

"Yeah, it's just..." Judy took a breath "this is the first time I'm sick since I'm on my own. Before, my mom always took care of me when I was sick. I guess I can't rely on my parents anymore for things like that"

"That's why I'm here" Nick smiled warmly.

"I still get a little homesick though" Judy said.

"Living in such a small apartment can't help" her friend gestured to the place.

"You're right about that. This place is the complete opposite of the farm." She chuckled, then she continued with nostalgia in her eyes "I miss running in the field, playing with my 275 brothers and sisters, the wide open spaces and clean air. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I followed my dreams and moved to Zootopia. It's just that sometimes..." Judy trailed off.

"I get it" Nick reassured her. A he did understand. Judy had grown up on a farm surrounded by a huge family. It made sense that such a big change in lifestyles would make her miss the comfort of her old familiar life from time to time. Even if she didn't _want_ to live on the farm.

 _chu~!_ the rabbit sneezed.

Nick tried to hide his chuckle. ' _so cute_ '

"Shut up" Judy glare at him.

"I didn't say anything!" Nick defended himself.

"You were thinking it" She mumbled.

His eyes widened for a second before going back to being half closed as usual "Lucky guess" he said.

They finished eating together and by the time they were done Judy already looked like she was feeling better, thanks to the food and medicine. She gave a big yawn. Though she had slept a lot, being sick was very tiring and she hadn't gotten such a good rest that morning.

"Alright, back to bed Carrots" Nick told the bunny.

"but I'm not sleepy" She yawned while she let her friend tuck her in again.

"Yes you are" he chuckled "and you need rest"

"Ok" Judy said simply. She watched him as he closed the blinds and got her a fresh glass of water. Sure, she _could_ have taken care of herself, but she was glad that she didn't have to. Before Nick had gotten there, she was lonely and down. She was so grateful for her friend who had dropped everything on a whim to come take care of her as soon as he had heard that she wasn't feeling well. Judy realized that she could never have hoped for a better friend.

"Nick?" she whispered sleepily.

"hm?" He looked up from his phone that he was now using to pass time.

"Thank you" Judy said sincerely. She was thanking him for everything.

"I'm always there for you, Judy"

Then she fell asleep with a smile on her face.

When she woke up, she looked at the time. It was 4 in the afternoon. An odd time to wake up. Judy stretched, she had slept well and woke up because she was completely rested. Her headache was gone, her throat wasn't as bad as before and though her nose was still clogged, she could breathe through it better.

After she stretched, Judy noticed that Nick was still there. He was sitting on the desk chair with his legs propped up on the foot of her bed. He was asleep. Judy nearly held her breath, she didn't want to wake him up after he'd helped her so much. Of course, in her effort to be quiet, the rabbit's nose started to itch.

 _Chu~!_

Nick's ears twitched and he sleepily opened his eyes.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to wake you" Judy apologized.

"It's fine, I was just taking a little nap" Nick said as he stretched. "Sleep well?"

"Very well. And I feel a lot better. I don't think I can sleep anymore than that" Judy smiled. Nick opened the blinds again. "I'll be back at work in no time!"

"That's good to hear" the fox slouched back down in the chair, showing no intention of leaving.

"Nick, you've been taking care of me all day. You can go home now, I'm fine" Judy said, guilty for making Nick spend his day like this.

"Nope, not happening Carrots. Boredom is the worse kind of sickness. You still need me" Nick smiled.

The bunny smiled, grateful for her friend once again.

"So what do you want to talk about?" Nick asked.

For the rest of the day, they hung out and found ways to pass time. The rest of the day went by fast. When night came, Judy went to sleep and Nick went home. He was back the next day, though, to help her through the rest of her sickness. He didn't care if Bogo wasn't happy with him missing work; his friend needed him. Judy got better quick with Nick's help and within a few days she was back to full health and energy. She was ready to go back to work and make the world a better place.

A few days later, when Judy got to the station her partner wasn't there. As soon as she heard that he'd called in sick, she took the day off and went to Nick's place.

 _knock knock_

Silence.

 _knock knock knock_

Judy heard movement and before long a tired looking fox opened the door. His droopy eyes brightened slightly when he saw his visitor.

"I brought carrot soup" the rabbit showed a bag.

"Great, but what will _I_ eat?" Nick joked hoarsely.

"I also got you some blueberries" Judy smiled.

"Come on in Carrots"

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 **Thanks for reading! (#FriendshipFluff ^.^)  
**

 **~RoxyJaws~**


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